Henry Rios Mysteries (Books 1-7) – Michael Nava Free Audiobook

Written by Michael Nava
Read by Gregory St. John
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 32 Kbps
Unabridged

The Little Death
Henry Rios, Book 1

A burnt-out public defender battling alcoholism, Henry Rios has reached a crossroads in his life. While interviewing his former lover Hugh Paris in jail, Rios goes through the motions, but notices that Paris is far more polished and well off than the usual suspects arrested for drug possession. Paris is mysteriously bailed out – but a few weeks later, he turns up on Rios’s doorstep. Skittish and paranoid, he admits to using heroin and says he’s afraid that his wealthy grandfather wants to murder him.

Rios tries to help Paris get clean, but when Paris is found dead of an apparent heroin overdose, Rios is the only one who considers foul play. Determined to find Paris’ killer, Rios knocks on San Francisco’s most gilded doors, where he discovers a family tainted by jealousy, greed, and hate. They’ve been warped by a fortune someone’s willing to kill – and kill again – to possess.

At once an atmospheric noir mystery and a scathing indictment of a legal system caught in the maws of escalating corruption, The Little Death chronicles one man’s struggle to achieve true justice for all.

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Goldenboy
Henry Rios, Book 2

In his latest case, Henry Rios may have something few defense attorneys ever experience: A truly innocent client.

It’s a cause Henry Rios can’t resist: Defending a young gay man on trial for killing the coworker who threatened to out him. Jim Pears is charged with first-degree murder; Pears says he’s innocent but the evidence is damning. Pears was found covered in the victim’s blood and with the murder weapon in his hand. But nothing about the People v. Jim Pears is what it seems.

Rios is asked to join the case because he knows first-hand the pressures and threats that come with being gay in California in the 1980s. In the midst of one of the most complex trials of his career, Rios meets and falls in love with Josh Mandel, the prosecutor’s star witness. For this defense attorney, fighting for justice has never been more personal. And the stakes are no less than life and death.

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Howtown
Henry Rios, Book 3

A controversial case brings lawyer Henry Rios back home to Oakland – and into the sights of a stone-cold killer. It’s been almost a decade since Henry Rios has seen his sister, Elena. A troubled family history has left them both with unhappy memories. But his visit with his sister isn’t the reunion he imagined. As Rios comes to terms with the results of his partner’s HIV test, Elena asks him to defend Paul Windsor, someone they grew up with – who has a history of pedophilia and has just been charged with murder after his fingerprints were found at a crime scene. The victim, who peddled child pornography, was tortured before he was bludgeoned to death in a motel room. The investigation takes Rios back to his old neighborhood and down a twisting trail of blackmail, jealousy, and tainted love. Forced to confront his demons, he’ll face off with some hard truths about himself – and with a merciless killer. Howtown is the third book in the Henry Rios mystery series, which also includes The Little Death and Goldenboy.

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The Hidden Law
Henry Rios, Book 4

Henry explores his Mexican-American roots as he defends a young Latino accused of murdering a rising Latino politician. A strong emotional connection with both the victim and his accused killer results in a deepening internal conflict for Henry as he battles L.A.’s corrupt political machine and faces Josh’s impending death from AIDS.

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The Death of Friends
Henry Rios, Book 5

As protagonist Henry Rios investigates his friend Chris Chandler’s murder, he begins to discover that the State Supreme Court judge’s life had not been at all what it appeared to be, as Chandler’s young gay lover begs for protection and other secrets begin to come to light.

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The Burning Plain
Henry Rios, Book 6

Still reeling after the death of his former lover, criminal defense lawyer Henry Rios unwisely falls for a young actor whom he had successfully defended on trumped-up burglary charges. But just hours after a date with Rios, the man is brutally murdered – and the trail of circumstantial evidence leads an unscrupulous police detective to Rios’ doorstep. And when a second young man, and then a third, are found dead, Rios must fight not only to exonerate himself, but to save his very life. Embroiled in his own investigation of the case, Rios exposes an intricate web of blackmail, betrayal, corruption, and violence – a conspiracy that reaches from the Los Angeles criminal courthouse to the studio lots to the mayor’s office. And in the end, Rios knows that one more murder won’t make a difference to anyone…

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Rag and Bone
Henry Rios, Book 7

In Michael Nava’s final Henry Rios mystery, the gay Latino lawyer faces his most daunting personal and professional challenges as he comes to terms with his past – and a cache of family secrets. Henry Rios was dead for fifty-seven seconds when he suffered a heart attack in the courtroom. While he recovers, his sister, Elena, stays with him at the hospital, and they begin to repair their strained relationship, finally airing their thoughts and regrets about their childhood in an abusive home. But Elena has an extra surprise for Rios: Thirty years ago, when she was in college, she had a baby and gave her up for adoption.

The girl, Vicky, grew up in foster homes, but now seeks out Elena for help escaping an abusive husband. Despite Elena and Rios’ efforts, Vicky returns to her husband – but not long after, he’s shot dead in a motel room and Vicky claims to have blown him away. Rios doesn’t believe her confession, though, and finds evidence that suggests she’s innocent. Rios’ search for the facts leads him into a thicket of secrets and lies. As he fights for a niece he never knew he had, he must also combat the ever-present shadow of his own mortality and the truth about his past.